Vanderbilt University Top Questions

Vanderbilt is unique because not only is it a top-20 insitutition, but we have the school spirit and elite sports programs that are common at large state schools. We definitely have a "work hard, play hard" mentality, and I think we really are some of the happiest students! Our campus is also very health-conscious; you'll see many students that go to the gym frequently and eat healthy, and we are also uniquely passionate about our beliefs and career goals. Vanderbilt is a wonderful place to be!

How friendly, warm, and welcoming everyone and everything is here. It really is like the "harvard of the south" without the depression and cut-throat competition.

It's one of the only places I could get any Ivy League education in the south. The other school I'd been accepted to was a great opportunity, but the fact that they had no theatre program whatsoever and I'd be about 3 hours away from home would have killed me. I'd been very involved in the drama club and forensics in high school and couldn't imagine not participating in those activities. I even ended up double-majoring theatre and film studies-- neither of which I would've been able to have at the other school.

Vanderbilt is great! If you're looking for a great time at an amazing school come here. Beware that Vanderbilt has it's own culture and you most likely will conform to it, one way or another. It isn't a bad thing becuase no one is forcing you. You just fall in love with Vandy and you want to be as "Vandy" as possible.

Compared to the other schools I conseidered, Vanderbilt is one of those smart yet party schools. It is hard to get in and the work is difficult, but its not all work and no play. The party scene is just as grand as the hard work you have to put in.

Vanderbilt combines great academics with an engaging student body plenty of student organizations and social opportunities. It also has a beautiful campus that has plenty of green space and is a national arboretum. The campus has an isolated and safe feel with all the amenities of a large city. Vanderbilt also has ample research opportunities with an excellent medical center on campus. Being in the South Eastern Conference, Vanderbilt also has excellent sports, so there are great football and basketball games to attend. Admission is free, and obtaining tickets is never an issue.

Vanderbilt is a pretigious and well-known school, but they give amazing financial aid, and there is an amazing social scene here.

It is a national arboretum and has many connections with the medical center that is also on the campus.

Vanderbilt is located in a city, so students have access to facilities like grocery stores, restaurants, pharmacies, malls, etc. The campus is not a typical "city campus," though; paths around campus are surrounded by lawns and multitudes of trees, as Vanderbilt is a national arboretum. The school is small enough that students recognize many other students around campus, but big enough that students can meet new people every day.

Access to experts in respective fields and a commitment to excellence sums it up.

Vanderbilt students Party hard and Work hard. Sports are a big 10 school, academics are an ivy school.

Great academic school, but in the SEC!

Obviously, these comments are based on the opinion of someone who was not prepared for what Vandy really was like. Even with the comments I have made, I do not regret coming to Vanderbilt. I have met genuine people, and I enjoy making fun of the others. I really enjoy my learning environment, and we all have plenty of time to get our work done so that we can socialize. It's not all bad, but these are some truths you must know before applying. It's harsh, but it's reality.

I only answered the top question, but it took so much out of me that I just didn't have what it took to fill-in the rest of them. But it should be noted that I did all of this during work and that people should know the truth about life after college, it's 87& Bullshit.... do the math.

I hate that Vanderbilt is changing to try to be like the Yankee ivy league schools. I hate that we don't have a business school. I hate that being from Texas I feel out of place here because I like country music, the South, and Republican politics (especially considering this is Music City). I love day drinking, knowing I can leverage Vanderbilt's name in a job interview, interacting with the social, economic, and political elite from around the country, and how well manicured the foliage is on campus.

Vanderbilt is the place to go if you are driven and academically focused, but you don't want to burn out in an ivy league school. Who needs Harvard when you can go to the Harvard of the South?

I love Vandy

Vanderbilt's too freakin' expensive. But look at all you get - take advantage of everything Vanderbilt has to offer. When else in your life are you going to be able to go work out at a clean, well-equipped gym any day of the week without paying an arm or a leg for it? (well, you just did, but at least get your money's worth!) When else are you going to have the opportunity to see poets, politicians, or social activists speak for free? Vanderbilt puts a lot of effort into making campus life vibrant and interesting from year to year. Even if you dont know if you'll like them, on-campus events are worth checking out. Enter competitions, write for the newspaper, join a club. THere are endless possibilities to explore. If there's one thing I'd advise to any college student, it's to study abroad - for a year or a semester, it will change your life. Experience a different culture and/or language. Meet new really cool people. Change your perspective. Whatever you end up doing for a career, challenging yourself and leaving your comfort zone for a bit can only make you stronger. And dont make the mistake of thinking you can only go in one direction with your studies (ie take only those classes that will look good when you apply to grad school). Sometimes going off the beaten track leads to discovering interests you never knew you had. There are many, many ways of getting to the same location. Go exploring.

I love it here. LOVES it.

You either LOVE Vanderbilt or you HATE it, and it can switch from day to day.

If you kill someone in Nashville and need somewhere to hide the body, I suggest the basement of Stevenson Center. It is the creepiest place on campus.

The housing problem, thank God, is being fixed. There are now really impressive new dorms on Peabody, hardwood floors in suites, and better restaurants popping up around campus. Oh, and the food + beer: it is entirely possible those freshman 15 could turn to 20. Food is good here, and drinking is plentiful. If you want to hold off and do some dieting, there's a great healthy vegan restaurant that's getting lots of attention from dieters (guys and girls).